Hi I’m Xena and I am a low key girl who loves cuddling. At first when I meet new people I am a bit shy and fearful, so I bark a lot, but once I warm up to you I will be climbing in your lap for pets and attention. It takes me a little while to feel comfortable meeting new folks but after I get to know you I will be your best friend. Due to the fact that I am a little timid I am hoping to find a family who has some experience with shy dogs. Kids? I’d love to meet them and see how well we get along. Come on over to Dakin’s Springfield location and meet me Xena and I’ll be your low key gal.

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society provides shelter, education, advocacy, and assistance for animals and people in need. Dakin is a local, private, non-profit organization that relies solely on contributions from individuals and businesses who care about animals to bring its services to the community.

Springfield, MA (7/29/15) – Springfield couple Jan and Bernadette Piepul have provided a challenge pledge to Dakin Humane Society donors. They will match, at a two-to-one ratio, every gift that is made to Nick's Nursery through September 30, up to $6,000. This will essentially cover all the medical expenses that Dakin’s kitten nursery is expected to incur during its busy summer and fall months.

Nick’s Nursery, which was officially opened in 2014 at Dakin’s Adoption and Education Center in Springfield, provides medical attention and nurturing to newborn kittens too young for adoption. It was named for Nicholas, one of the Piepul’s pet cats. Last year the Piepuls provided a generous grant to open and support the Nursery in its first year of operation.

According to Bernadette Piepul, "I remember vividly the time Nicholas had been set on fire as a homeless kitten many years ago and we adopted him from the shelter as he was healing. We know how critical it is to provide the proper care to save lives, so we are happy and proud to support Nick's Nursery at Dakin. We hope people will join us in donating to ensure that these helpless kittens thrive and find loving homes."

In addition to encouraging donations for Nick’s Nursery, Dakin has also launched its Summer Appeal campaign. “The summer season is incredibly hectic here,” said Dakin’s Executive Director Leslie Harris. “New cats, kittens, dogs and puppies are turning up every day, and our efforts to treat, shelter and feed them stretch our resources. We rely on donations from people in our community to save these lives.”

The non-profit organization also offers a Guardian Donor option, which allows supporters to pledge a monthly amount of their choosing via credit card. For the second summer in a row, Dakin is conducting a drive to enlist 50 new Guardian Donors between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Dakin Humane Society delivers effective, innovative services that improve the lives of animals in need and the people who care about them from its two locations in Springfield and Leverett, MA. The organization shelters, treats and fosters more than 20,000 animals each year and has performed more than 60,000 spay/neuter surgeries since 2009. Dakin is a local non-profit organization that relies solely on contributions from individuals and businesses that care about animals to bring its services to the community. For more information, visit www.dakinhumane.org

WHAT: Dakin will reduce adoption fees for selected adult cats to $5 this Friday and Saturday at both locations. The cats selected for this consideration are healthy adult felines who have been waiting at Dakin for new homes.

WHY: These reduced adoption fee events are meant to help Dakin find homes for animals who have been waiting for adoption for a longer period of time than usual. The reduced adoption fee allows more people to consider adopting these pets, and more animals the opportunity to finally be given a home.

Springfield, MA (7/15/15) – Pit bulls end up in local shelters in numbers larger than most other breeds of dog.

That’s why Dakin Humane Society, with support from PetSmart Charities, the largest funder of animal welfare efforts in North America, is participating in the “Primp Your Pit” spay/neuter campaign. Through the “Primp Your Pit” campaign, Dakin will provide a special $20 spay or neuter surgery and free nail trim for pit bulls and pit bull mixes during the month of August 2015.

“Spaying or neutering a pet is the most effective thing a person can do to prevent unwanted litters from being born that may ultimately end up in local shelters,” said Dakin’s Executive Director Leslie Harris.

Some may be hesitant to get their young puppies and kittens sterilized, but the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) endorses spaying or neutering puppies as young as eight to 10 weeks old. Research also shows that the procedure may improve the behavior and health of the pet, including reducing the risk of certain reproductive cancers and infections. This special $20 rate is even less than Dakin’s normally low fee, and is available to all who mention the “Primp Your Pit” campaign when they call to schedule their appointment. The rate is based on availability.

Thanks to the PetSmart Charities grant, Dakin will provide 120 “Primp Your Pit” sterilizations for $20 in August. Please call (413) 781-4019 to schedule an appointment, or visit the Dakin Community Spay/Neuter Clinic at 171 Union Street in Springfield in person Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to book an appointment.

PetSmart Charities’ “Primp Your Pit” campaign provides more than $328,764 to spay/neuter clinics to fund affordable, high-quality spay and neuter surgeries for more than 5,721 pit bull terrier-type dogs across the nation during the month of August.

About Dakin Humane Society:

Dakin Humane Society delivers effective, innovative services that improve the lives of animals in need and the people who care about them from its two locations in Springfield and Leverett, MA. The organization shelters more than 6,000 animals every year and provides low-cost spay/neuter surgery and vaccinations to 12,000 more. Dakin is a local non-profit organization that relies solely on contributions from individuals and businesses that care about animals to bring its services to the community. For more information, visit www.dakinhumane.org

About PetSmart Charities:PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets. More than 400,000 dogs and cats find homes each year through our adoption program in all PetSmart® stores and our sponsored adoption events. PetSmart Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group in North America, with a focus on funding spay/neuter services that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization, separate from PetSmart, Inc.

LOW COST VACCINATION CLINICS

If you’re struggling with vet care costs for vaccinations, tests and treatments for your dog or cat, don’t forget about Dakin Humane Society’s Low-Cost Vaccine Clinic, held every Thursday from 9-10am at 171 Union Street in Springfield. The first 40 dogs and cats in line can receive a range of services including vaccinations to prevent rabies, parvovirus and feline leukemia among others; microchipping; flea/tick preventive treatments and much more.

Dakin Humane Society provides shelter, education, advocacy, and assistance for animals and people in need. Dakin is a local, private, non-profit organization that relies solely on contributions from individuals and businesses who care about animals to bring its services to the community.

Does your dog need some help learning to be a better behaved member of the community? And are you looking for something new and fun to do with your canine companion? Dakin Humane Society offers a wide variety of training classes that are fun and helpful for both you and your pooch. C.L.A.S.S., (Canine Life and Social Skills) classes, Scent Work for Dogs, K9 Fitness, Tricks, and Canine Good Citizen are just a few of the many classes starting this month.

More information and registration is available online at www.dpvhs.org

Dakin Humane Society provides shelter, education, advocacy, and assistance for animals and people in need. Dakin is a local, private, non-profit organization that relies solely on contributions from individuals and businesses who care about animals to bring its services to the community.

DAKIN HUMANE SOCIETY RECEIVES GRANT

Dakin Humane Society has received a $20,000 grant from the Massachusetts Animal Coalition (MAC) as part of the special "I'm Animal Friendly" license plate program. These plates support spay/neuter efforts in Massachusetts and help to reduce the number of homeless animals in the state. Funds received from the sale of these special license plates are dispersed annually by MAC through a grant process. The proceeds are awarded to non-profit humane organizations and municipal animal control agencies in the Commonwealth that provide spaying and neutering services for cats, dogs, and rabbits. This year’s grant is the largest Dakin has received from MAC.The grant awarded to Dakin is tremendously helpful in its outreach efforts to help fund low-cost spay/neuter surgery for low income clients in Dakin’s service area. More than 40,000 dogs and cats have been sterilized at Dakin's Community Spay/Neuter Clinic since it opened mid-October 2009. Dakin is sterilizing approximately 11,000 animals each year. “If you care about animals, the purchase of one of these plates is an important way to help animals in our community and assist us in our efforts to end animal homelessness in the Pioneer Valley”, according to Dakin’s Executive Director Leslie Harris. The funds awarded to Dakin this year will be used to subsidize the spaying/neutering of cats of low income caregivers. "I'm Animal Friendly" license plates are easy to order online - no need to go to the RMV! Simply go to www.petplate.org and order your tax-deductible plate today. More information about the Dakin Community Spay/Neuter Clinic can be found online at Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society.

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society (Dakin) provides shelter, education, advocacy, and assistance for animals and people in need. Dakin does not receive any government funding nor is Dakin funded or operated by any national humane organization. Dakin is a local, private, non-profit organization that relies solely on contributions from individuals and businesses who care about animals to bring its services to the community.

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